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Keep running…

I ran 3.5km today in 28 minutes. To most people, this wouldn’t be a big deal. To people who have run marathons, like my husband, this is like walking down the street. To me, it was quite a big deal.

3.5km in 28 minutes means I’m on track to complete 5km in three weeks time, with a time of around 40 minutes. I’ve built this up from 2.5km in a few weeks, despite having been ill and other things having to take priority. I’m making progress towards my goal.

I’m starting to think that running is a bit of ‘mind over matter.’ With the right soundtrack, and the right programme on the TV screen in front of me, the distance passes fairly quickly. If I think too much about each individual step, about my heart rate, my pace, my breathing, and exactly how far I’ve got to go, every single step is painful. So distraction is the key to it for me.

I saw a poster today inviting people to go for a 5km trail run on a Saturday morning around one of the parks in Greater Manchester. Rather than thinking, “Why would anyone want to do that,” my first thought was that I will be able to do things like that. That would mean a real change of mindset for me. The challenge for me will firstly be getting to (and through) the 5km run; the greater challenge will be to maintain and improve upon that level of fitness.